The World Health Organisation confirmed this week that Papua New Guinea has eliminated the eye disease trachoma as a public health problem.
Official recognition was made during the 78th World Health Assembly held in Geneva, Switzerland, following a comprehensive review of PNG's elimination dossier.
Trachoma is the world's leading infectious cause of blindness. The disease thrives in areas where the water is scarce, and sanitation is poor. The infection is easily spread through personal contact and by flies that have been in contact with people's eyes or noses. It disproportionately affects mothers and children.
The Fred Hollows Foundation helped drive the final push to eliminate the disease in Papua New Guinea, with the support of the UK's Department for International Development, following commitments made to Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting, and the Australian government through its NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP).
Foundation chief executive Ross Piper congratulated the PNG government and partners for working collectively to eliminate trachoma as a public health problem.
"Since 2018, The Fred Hollows Foundation has supported trachoma initiatives in Papua New Guinea in partnership with the National Department of Health and PNG Eye Care," he said.
"This is a significant achievement that is only made possible through cooperation and collaboration from local through to international partners.
"The government of Papua New Guinea has played a leading role in driving trachoma elimination activities and ensuring we reach the most remote areas of the country."
Mr Piper said the Foundation's implementation partners, the National Department of Health and PNG Eye Care, have played "a central role in driving the program forward, alongside our research partner, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine".
"We're also grateful for the strong technical and advocacy support provided by the World Health Organisation and the National Prevention of Blindness Committee, as well as survey support from the International Trachoma Initiative and Tropical Data," he said.
World Health Organisation director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus congratulated "the government and people of Papua New Guinea on this incredible achievement".
"This success demonstrates what can be achieved when science and sustained partnerships come together to serve the health and dignity of communities," he said.
Efforts to eliminate trachoma in PNG began many years ago. Foundational work, including trachoma rapid assessments conducted in 2012, laid the groundwork for success.
On Tuesday, the Fred Hollows Foundation Australia acknowledged the "vital contributions" of the Brian Holden Vision Institute; Collaborative Vision; the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness; the Global Trachoma Mapping Project; the PNG Institute of Medical Research; Sightsavers; and the Fred Hollows Foundation New Zealand.
The Foundation's Trachoma Coordinator, Dr Ana Cama, said trachoma in Papua New Guinea is "complex and presents atypically".
"Additional research and ancillary surveys looking at levels of scarring on the inner eyelid and limbal signs pathognomonic for trachoma in 10-14-year-old-children was crucial in understanding the picture of trachoma in the country and ultimately moving the country into drafting its dossier," she said.
The Pacific Country Manager, Sara Webster, said PNG's journey to eliminate trachoma as a public health problem "demonstrates that by working in partnership at the global and local levels, we can deliver results that have a lasting impact on people's quality of life and wellbeing".
